Building a Bridge: From TEA to Coffee

Building a Bridge: From TEA to Coffee
By: Joshua J. Lyons | March 14, 2010

The movements that have grown in the past year have provided important outlets for average citizens. They have also been moving targets for those on the periphery to paint or define. The greatest strength of the TEA Party is also sometimes its greatest weakness; it is decentralized and without uniform leadership. The greatest strength of the newly formed Coffee Party is that it is an alternative outlet to the TEA Party.

For those in the TEA Party who think that stopping or removing our current president will solve our problems – NEWS FLASH: These problems have been building for well over 100 years! For those in the Coffee Party who think that the TEA Party is a Republican front group consisting of racist crackers who do not want poor people to have healthcare – NEWS FLASH: We’re primarily your neighbors who do not like the direction our nation is headed.

Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of each group's participants are not knuckle-dragging, racists or granola-eating Marxists. However, we must acknowledge that both warm beverage parties' include people who:

- are only complainers
- are partisan to the core
- are uninformed of history
- have blinding prejudices
- believe their cable news channel tells the truth
- do not think beyond what the talking heads tell them

Just because each group includes those that fit these descriptions (sometimes in organizing positions), we should not paint the entire TEA or Coffee movement with a single stroke of a broad brush. I state this because most participants are normal citizens fed up with seemingly unsolvable problems. It is because of this actuality that I believe bridges can be built between the TEA and Coffee partiers. I also believe that we have more in common than not. I have been able to have meaningful conversations with those who do not hold my same views. These conversations have not always resulted in the changing of positions. But they have positively affected each other’s understanding of the other person’s views and why they hold these views. At a minimum, an appreciation of the other person’s perspectives was born.

Moving forward, the single most important question that must be answered is around our general government’s charter document: Is the US Constitution a constant document (with a specific process defining how to amend it) or is it to be interpreted through the then current cultural lens? I submit to the former.

The second most important topic that must be addressed is Democracy vs. Republic. I believe our form of government was established as a Constitutional Republic (including a democratic element for choosing representatives). A good definition of my position is illustrated in this video.

A third most important topic we must resolve is one of authority. I believe that the state governments created the federal government and granted it limited authority (i.e. defined in the Constitution and clarified within the Bill of Rights). The founders designed a federal system of governance (i.e. federalism), one in which two governments have jurisdiction over the inhabitants. Furthermore, authority granted to the federal government is defined within the Constitution while the balance is retained by the states and the people. This allows for the states to serve 50 sovereign laboratories of experimentation. A good definition of my position is illustrated in this video.

Many will accurately point out that much of this has already been ‘resolved’ by case law and precedent, to which I submit this two part rhetorical question: A) Was that the founders’ intent and B) how’s that working out for us?

Readers may not share my views, but I have great optimism that if we continue this discussion with civility (i.e. choosing not to fall into the trap of calling the other side names); we can have a positive impact on the national dialogue.


Joshua is the co-host of The Forgotten Men radio show Saturdays at 12 noon, Eastern, on AM930 WFMD – and the co-founder of We Surround Them Frederick.

Do You Think They Care?

by Joshua J. Lyons
Originally published HERE at The Tenth Amendment Center on 12/2/09

Do you think our Federal representatives (or their staffers) care one iota about representing us?

1.)How many dozens of letters and emails have you sent your federal representatives in the past year? How many ridiculous form letters (that didn’t even address your concerns) have you received in return and how long did it take? The federal reps don’t care.

2.)How many calls have you placed to them just to have a patronizing staffer thank you for your call and say they’ll pass on your opinion to Sen. INSERT THEIR NAME? The federal reps don’t care.

Click here to read entire article

Are You Finally Ready To Trust Your Conscience?

Are You Finally Ready To Trust Your Conscience?
by Joshua J. Lyons
Originally published HERE at The Tenth Amendment Center on 10/31/09

Most politicians are not bad people, but the system has a way of chewing them up and spitting them out. Once in the system, they learn to play the game and almost always compromise their integrity when it can be justified and even sometimes when it cannot. This is done while we look the other way if it’s “our guy” and/or they give us something we want. That’s the insidiousness of democracy and these “representatives” continue to do anything to stay in power.

Many of the problems that we face today can mostly be chalked up to our divisions fueled by our two beloved major parties. While we’re fighting each other and pinning down scapegoats, the hotshot politicians are laughing all the way to the bank (you know…Citi, Goldman, so on and so forth).

I don’t believe citizens who still identify themselves as Republicans and Democrats are happy with the destination that either of our parties is taking us; they simply don’t know how to address mess they find themselves in. My gut tells me that the majority my fellow citizens want a representative to rely on defined accountability, common sense, and a set of principles that value the unalienable rights and responsibilities of the individual.

Additionally, I don’t believe the moderates and independents are the sissy’s that they’re portrayed to be. I don’t think these folks “just want everybody to get along” like a sad Rodney King line. I think they are looking for a leader to say what he means and does what he says – PERIOD! Many of the people in this group have simply caught on to the game that the politicians have been playing for so long.

Accountability is a key to success. We the People forget what we ate for dinner last night; politicians count on this! Make your campaigning representatives document what they will and won’t do, and make them provide you with a report card on how they are living up to their promises! With web technology, this is beyond simple.

We need citizen statesmen, not career politicians. Career “public servants” result in massive corruption. When you see earmarks by a representative – this is not actually us getting “our piece of the pie.” Although generally accepted as a necessary evil, make no mistake – this is unethical and it robs us citizens of our proper influence! Until we stand our ground, our masters will manipulate and control us. It is our responsibility to not hire a snake oil salesman even if his opponent is greasier! Doing so will stifle proper representation – we will never see honorable people if we keep up this perpetual cycle!

Another key to success is that We the People must also not ask our campaigning representatives to give us everything under the sun. Here’s a secret…it sends the wrong message. When we tell them we’ll vote for them if they take care of us…what do think they’re going to do? They’ll take your vote, assure you that everything will be alright with them at the helm, and then move on to the next sucker.

These things aren’t easy to hear…they’re not easy to say – that’s why almost no one says them. But these are not times where we have the luxury to not be direct…nor do I think you want a load of bullocks…do you?! You know how many people I’m going to tick off because of what I’m saying? People have deep seeded ties to parties, candidates, and friends in high places. It doesn’t matter…IT CAN’T MATTER. If we keep down this path much longer – we will follow the lemming leaders right off the cliff!

I am not going to follow them, but I am going to look for a principled, citizen statesmen. One who would represent me only to the extent of where their authority ends.

The Federal candidate I want to hear from would state the following:

-I will run for office for no more than “X” years
-I will not weigh in on matters not specifically enumerated in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution as was originally followed for the first 70 years of the nation
-I will use my position to inform my constituents through various media outlets of the corruption in government and the usurpation of the rights and responsibilities of the states and their citizens
-I believe that my actions in this life will affect judgment by my Creator and I am fully aware of the consequences
-I will document my adherence to these promises on the front page of my website

The State candidate I want to hear from would state the following:

-I will run for office for no more than “X” years
-I will, through legislation and bully pulpit, assert the rights and responsibilities of my state and its citizens and hold the federal government accountable for its usurpations of authority not granted to them.
-I will use my position to inform my constituents through various media outlets of the corruption in government and the usurpation of the rights and responsibilities of counties, municipalities, and individuals
-I believe that my actions in this life will affect judgment by my Creator and I am fully aware of the consequences
-I will document my adherence to these promises on the front page of my website

Even if you think this is unrealistic because, “hey, that’s just politics.” Isn’t this how you’ve been feeling?

Come join us and become part of the growing movement – this is one bandwagon it’s ok to hop on. Our children’s future depends on it.

(Joshua is the co-host of The Forgotten Men radio show Saturdays at 12noon, Eastern, on 930 WFMD – and the co-founder of We Surround Them Frederick)


Click here for the entire original article:
http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/10/looking-to-the-inside/

Healthcare Insurance is...Insurance.

Many citizens have forgotten the fact that we are not entitled to everything we want or even need to survive. We’ve come to expect that we deserve a job or a meal like it was our birthright. Hopefully, enough people will be brave enough to compassionately remind the citizenry that our birthright is that to be free. Once we trade the smallest pieces of our freedom for a morsel of security, our newly bound dependence charges us with the implication that we deserve neither freedom nor security.

The current national conversation around the Healthcare reform debate is one near and dear to all of us. It is a complex issue when one focuses on the specifics of the legislation or on the emotion that entangles us when we think about our personal Healthcare struggles. However, if the situation is broken down to its most basic elements, one can begin to grasp the significance of some core principles and get less caught up in the useless back-and-forth that the current conversation seems to always include.

1. Importance of Authority – Our federal government was designed with limited powers. Our founders enumerated 18 powers given to Congress in Article 1 Section 8. Because they were historians, the founders knew that when unlimited power in the hands of a centralized government always resulted in tyranny. Their goal was to design a functional union of states, which held authority in all matters not defined for the federal government within the US Constitution. Until We the People again assert the founders intentions related to certain Constitutional clauses (i.e. General Welfare, Commerce, Necessary and Proper), we will be at the mercy of those who have inappropriately redefined these clauses to change our society. They have done so because they knew they could not change the law; We the People would not have let them. To the point of Healthcare, authority was never given to the federal government to provide Healthcare to its citizens. Doing so without going through the constitutional amendment process is usurpation of authority and creates null in-void legislation. Until We the People direct our state legislatures to pass nullification bills, we will face the real potential of our federal representatives usurping more power from us and becoming more tyrannical by the day. This continued cycle can only ultimately lead toward some form of Oligarchy or worse.
2. Healthcare as a Right – Our founders did not craft the Constitution or the Bill of Rights to enumerate every right the people had. Conversely, it did enumerate the powers of the federal government. If it didn’t provide an exhaustive list, then one might ask how we can determine what is a right and what is not. The answer to that question is found when we understand (as the founders did) that rights came from our Creator (i.e. Unalienable Rights). Once we explore their writings and speeches as well as the historical figures that they studied, we begin to develop an understanding and appreciation of what they believed at their core. One such example is that the government could not force an individual to provide for another individuals needs. Providing for another’s needs is an example of Unalienable Duties, however this is outside the realm of government intervention. An individual does not have the right to Healthcare at another individuals expense, period. An individual does have the right to not have a third party interfere with someone providing healthcare to the individual. One might ask how such statements can be made or that we already provide for the welfare of the downtrodden. They would probably be the first to call someone a monster who says that the government has no place doing such things. However, I would wager that those “monsters” on average provide more assistance to the downtrodden and hurting.
3. Insurance – The basic premise for having insurance is to transfer risk. We’ve come to expect that having insurance means any of our healthcare needs will automatically paid for by our insurance provider. Thinking that through the entire healthcare cycle, that can’t even pass the common sense sniff test. Jack Whelan recently said that Health Insurance "is not pre-payment of service, it is the transfer of risk of the financial impact of a potential event from yourself to a company." I can’t make the point any better than what is stated in the following article that was passed to me by a friend: Article HERE.

We who disagree with the current Healthcare legislation are not opposed to reforming Healthcare in this country; we are opposed to how it’s being forced upon us…and to who’s doing the forcing.